Virginia Tech focuses on winning out with East Carolina on tap

BLACKSBURG, VA. -- Just like last season, the Virginia Tech football team stands at 5-3 after two consecutive losses. But unlike last season, the Hokies' chances of defending their ACC championship appear bleak.

As 22nd-ranked Virginia Tech prepares to play at East Carolina (5-3) on Thursday night, its players and coaches have each found their own motivations: aiming for 10 wins, avoiding another loss, playing for pride.

"We ended up the [last] season feeling good about ourselves," Coach Frank Beamer said. "And that's what needs to take place now."

While Beamer said he would "feel good about getting 10 wins" if the Hokies win their four remaining games and then a bowl game, such a statement alone would not have jibed with the Hokies' outlook in August.

With a core of talent returning from a team that defeated Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl in January, Virginia Tech was a preseason top 10 team. Despite his one-day-at-a-time approach, Beamer did not shy away from questions about capturing a third straight conference title and making a run at a national championship.

"I do like this football team," Beamer said in July. "There's a lot of things there that point to good chemistry for this football team."

The Hokies' expectations were immediately dimmed after a season-opening loss to then-No. 5 Alabama. Yet Virginia Tech was able to reenter the national title conversation after climbing to fourth in the Associated Press poll through the first half of the season.

But the Hokies haven't gotten off to a promising start to the second half of the season. A loss at Georgia Tech on Oct. 17 put the Yellow Jackets (8-1, 5-1) in firm control of the ACC Coastal Division race, and last Thursday's loss to the Tar Heels gave Virginia Tech a 3-2 conference record. Now the Hokies must win out, and hope Georgia Tech loses its final two ACC games, to have a shot at another berth in the ACC title game.

"Coming into this season, we had high hopes," Hokies wide receiver Dyrell Roberts said. "We didn't think we were going to be in the same position we were in last year. But we can't dwell on it. We're just trying to finish out with all wins."

While others in the program pointed out that Virginia Tech could win 10 games for a sixth straight season, linebacker Cody Grimm is focused on the tallies in the loss column.

"I don't want to go out there and lose," Grimm said after the Hokies' loss to North Carolina. "Ten wins is good, but I hate to lose, and I don't want to feel like this again."

Tight end Andre Smithno accent noticed a heightened sense of urgency among the Hokies in practice this week, saying: "We need to get back on schedule. Two losses for us is very unusual."

On Thursday, the Hokies will try to avoid a rare third consecutive loss. Over Virginia Tech's 16-year bowl run, it has only lost three consecutive games on two occasions, in 1997 and in 2003. The Hokies played in the Gator Bowl in 1997 and the Insight Bowl in 2003.

The Hokies will have to win in a hostile environment in Greenville, N.C., to avoid a similar fate. In the 2008 season opener, Virginia Tech was upset by East Carolina, 27-22, at a neutral site in Charlotte. The Pirates took the lead for good after scoring on a blocked punt with 1 minute 52 seconds left.

As Virginia Tech picks itself up after two losses, it is hoping to see a rerun of last season down the stretch (omitting, of course, another loss to East Carolina).

"Regardless of what statistics say or the probability of going to the ACC championship again, we plan on winning out," Smith said. "We just want to finish out the season as best as we can."